The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson

Summary from Goodreads:In this timeless new trilogy about love and sacrifice, a princess must find her place in a reborn world.

In
a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a
preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the
revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are
perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance
with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.

On the
morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles
into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers
arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an
assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on
the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself
falling in love.

Review

Hot damn this book was GOOD.

Lia flees her kingdom and duties as princess to escape an arranged marriage. She settles in a distant village and shortly thereafter two strangers arrive - one who is the prince she fled from, the other, an assassin sent to kill her and prevent the alliance her marriage would create. Lia doesn't know the true identity of either, of course, and neither do readers. All we know is that there is a man named Raffe and a man named Kaden, one is the prince, one is the assassin. And Lia's un-princess-like behavior surprises both men, which motivates them to extend their stay and get to know her. Both vie for her attention, and Lia starts to form attachments to each of them, though one more than the other.

I have never read a story told this way and I freaking loved it. Not knowing who was who but knowing that one of them wanted needed to kill her created a whole new layer of suspense and intrigue. The first 300 pages or so take place more or less in the village and
are focused on the growing relationship between Lia and these two men. After that, things get even more interesting. I really couldn't read fast enough. I devoured this book.

As great as the plot was, the characters were even better. I loved Lia - her stubbornness, defiance, willpower, discipline, strength, compassion. She was fierce and intelligent. Everything I could hope for in a female lead. A true warrior. AND THESE MEN! Both of these men were swoon worthy to some degree. Both were handsome, capable, honorable, dangerous, complex, and willing to fight for Lia. There was a bit of healthy competition between them over Lia and I ate it up. The dynamic that Pearson created was irresistible. But don't worry love triangle haters, Lia clearly prefers one over the other. Meanwhile, the secondary characters were just as strong, all with their own stories and admirable qualities. Such a wonderful cast of characters all around.

I can't recommend this book enough. But if I can leave you with a piece of advice, don't try and guess who is who! I thought I was supposed to know but was just dense so I used context clues in the beginning to figure out who was the prince and who was the assassin AND I WAS WRONG. So yeah, I had a bit of a surprise at page 303 and had to realign myself.

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All books reviewed on The Quiet Concert were either purchased, borrowed, gifted, or sent from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review. The bloggers behind The Quiet Concert have not nor will ever receive compensation of any sort for reviews.